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FAMILY BUILDING SINCE 1957

Archives for August 2017

Sandlin Community Highlight: Live Oak Creek in Fort Worth, TX

August 23, 2017 by Jodi Cohen

Meet Live Oak Creek, a vibrant community in west Fort Worth, right off of White Settlement Road. Residents in this community have an easy drive to downtown Fort Worth, Alliance Corridor, and all of Fort Worth’s favorite spots.

Families will love living close to the playground and soccer fields. In the summer, you can enjoy a mini-water park as the community features a lagoon pool, waterfall leading to a second pool, and a spray park.

Furthermore, the weather in Fort Worth lends itself to fabulous picnics. Picnic areas are right there in the community. You also won’t have to go far for entertainment as Fort Worth offers something for every interest.

Awesome Things to Do Near Live Oak Creek

Live Oak Creek residents also get the benefit of living right by White Settlement and all that the city has to offer. With a population of more than 16,000, the city is known for its family-friendly parks and Splash Dayz Waterpark.

There is no shortage of museums between the two cities. Fans of museum and history can visit the Texas Civil War Museum and White Settlement Historical Museum covering the city’s early days. Of course, Fort Worth has not one, but three famous art museums in the Kimbell, Modern, and Amon Carter.

You’ll also be close to unique museums Fort Worth’s Sid W. Richardson American West Museum, National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame, Log Cabin Village, and the Stockyards Museum. Yes, there’s a museum about the stockyards.

Airplane fans can relish the world of flight at Fort Worth Aviation, Vintage Flying, and American Airlines C.R. Smith museums. Only two of the United States’ Bureau of Engraving and Printing facilities exist that you can tour to see how money is made. Fort Worth has one of them. It’s a short drive from Live Oak Creek to fine dining, top-notch music at the Bass Hall, and more than 7,000 animals at the Fort Worth Zoo.

Live Oak Creek Schools in Fort Worth

Live Oak Creek is in the White Settlement Independent School District. WSISD serves almost 7,000 students on nine campuses. The school district aims to foster a culture of excellence and empowering students by providing them with a premier education.

Students living in this Fort Worth community will be rooting for the Bears and attending the following public schools:

  • North Elementary School
    • Grades: PK – 4
    • Enrollment: 750 students
    • Awarded five Distinction Designations for Accountability rating
  • Tannahill Intermediate School
    • Grades 5 – 6
    • Enrollment: 950 students
  • Brewer Middle School
    • Grades 7 – 8
    • Enrollment: 1000 students
    • Received highest state accountability last four years
  • Brewer High School
    • Grades 9 – 12
    • Enrollment: 1900 students
    • Students scored higher than state average on four STAAR tests

New Homes in Fort Worth by Sandlin Homes

New homes in Live Oak from DFW Home Builder Sandlin Homes span from 1900 to 3800 square feet with a price range in the $250s. You have many floorplan options for this neighborhood. Each floorplan contains its own options so you can customize your home to your liking. If you prefer to have a home ready for move-in without the hassle, this neighborhood has a few quick move-ins available.

Visualize the possibilities by watching this video of Live Oak Creek homes in Fort Worth. As soon as you’re ready to see them in person, come by the model home in Live Oak Creek. The model home is open Tues. and Weds. through Sat. from 11 am to 7 pm and Sun. and Mon. from 1 to 7 pm. To stop by on Thu. or Fri., please call to set an appointment and we’ll be happy to meet you then.

To get to the model home, go west on I-30 (West Freeway) to Loop 820. Travel north on 820 to White Settlement Rd. Continue west on White Settlement Rd. for about three miles to Haywire Ranch Rd. You’ll find the community on the right.

Sandlin Homes in Live Oak
12008 Carlin
Ft. Worth, TX 76108
817-714-7101

Filed Under: Community, Featured

Why First-Time Homebuyers Want to Live in DFW

August 9, 2017 by Jodi Cohen

An analysis from Zillow puts DFW on the top ten list best cities for first-time homebuyers. Zillow ranks Dallas as No. 9.

Now is the best time to buy new homes in DFW. One reason is that the rent on DFW apartments is climbing, and fast. It doesn’t make good financial sense to pay for a place to live in that you don’t own. If you buy a new home in Dallas today, it’ll be worth more in just five short years.

Reasons Why a New Home in DFW Is One of the Best Investments

What makes homes in DFW one of the best investments for first-time homebuyers? Zillow provides the following reasons:

  • Lower median home value
  • Strong home value forecast
  • Higher inventory-to-household ratio
  • Shorter Breakeven Horizon
  • Greater share of listings with price cuts

A lower median home value helps first-time homebuyers make an affordable down payment on a new home in DFW. Zillow says that more than two-thirds of the renters indicate that saving up for a down payment is the biggest barrier to home ownership.

The inventory ratio indicates buyers will have enough choices to find the right home. Areas with a low inventory-to-household ratio offer few choices, a barrier to finding the closest thing to a dream home.

How to Get Ready to Shop for New Homes in DFW

Before you start searching for new homes in DFW, here’s what you need to know as a first-time homebuyer:

  1. Figure out how much home you can afford.
  2. Find a trusted real estate agent.
  3. Accept that the perfect home doesn’t exist.
  4. Do your due diligence by adding contingencies.
  5. Search for tax incentives.

When you’re ready to shop around for the best mortgage rate, here are four ways to get the best mortgage rate:

  1. Boost your credit rating. A higher credit rating score means a lower interest rate. You can take steps to increase it.
  2. Shop around for the best rate. Yes, it’s possible to compare mortgage rates. Be sure to check your bank since you’re already a customer.
  3. Keep in mind the lowest rate may not be the best rate. Look at more than the interest rate when shopping. For instance, will you opt for a 15- or 30-year loan? A shorter loan may mean paying less interest, but it’ll also have higher monthly payments.
  4. Make a large down payment. The bigger the down payment, the lower the interest rate.

Explore Neighborhoods by a DFW Builder

Many DFW home builders build homes in many cities around DFW. Consider visiting DFW home builder websites to check out their homes and available floor plans.

For example, Sandlin Homes has a map of all the DFW neighborhoods where they build homes. Each neighborhood includes a list of available floor plans, price range, and size of the homes.

We’ve been building new homes since 1957. Being around for a long time has allowed us to collect a wealth of resources to help first-time buyers. Contact us with your questions about buying a new home.

Filed Under: Featured, Home Buying

Back-to-School Checklist for North Texas Families

August 2, 2017 by Jodi Cohen

August has arrived and so have all the back-to-school sales. That means the first day of school isn’t far off for many North Texas schools. No one wants to think about that now as they want to enjoy the last days of summer. However, preparing a few weeks ahead can ease the adjustment and stave off potential last minute panicking.

And besides, Texas has a tax-free shopping weekend a few weeks before school starts. At the end of the article is a handy checklist that you can print to help you keep track of everything covered here. Here are the recommended tasks to do before school starts.

Three to four weeks before school starts

Schools typically require guardians to fill out paperwork. The due date varies based on the child’s school. If your child has medical needs, obtain any required paperwork for the school nurse. Visit the school website for a list of school supplies, information about the staff and school, and any other information.

The paperwork may require listing emergency contacts. Verify their information is correct and that they’re aware they’re on your contact list. If after-school childcare is needed, research services and complete required tasks to get childcare set up.

You might be able to sign up to receive alerts from the school. For children in public school, browse the school district’s website. Some have a parent portal where parents enter the child’s information and check progress reports.

School districts may also require adults to complete a volunteer application before signing up for volunteer opportunities. If you’ve filled it out in the previous year, you may have to do it again every year.

Now’s a good time to find out what supplies your child will need. Some schools and PTAs have a partnership with a supplier. This allows parents to buy school supplies as a package without shopping for them. These packages tend to be a better deal because of the bulk orders. Your school or PTA should have that information.

With tax-free weekend coming up, do an inventory of clothes. Remove outgrown clothes to donate, give away, or sell. Make a list of any needed clothes. Start collecting sales ads and circulars as they can start popping up around this time. Make a plan for shopping.

Two to three weeks before school starts

Time to go shopping for clothes and supplies. Review the sales ads and your list of needed items to create your shopping game plan. Texas’ tax-free weekend usually occurs on a Friday through Sunday within the first two weeks of August. You’ll save 8 percent on taxes on top of store sales.

North Texas schools tend to have open houses anywhere from a few days to a couple of weeks before school starts. Young children can meet their teachers and see their classrooms. Older children may be able to walk their schedules and stop by their lockers. Whether the child is using a locker combination for the first time or fourth time, encourage the child test the combination to be sure it works.

If the child has been on a different sleeping schedule, start enforcing school bedtime. You may have to ease into it by putting the child to bed a little earlier each night.

One week before school starts

If your child is taking lunch to school, discuss the lunch menu and involve the child in the meal planning. Also, discuss breakfast options. Head to the grocery store to shop for school lunches.

Review transportation routine especially if it includes taking the bus to school. Bus routines sometimes change especially when the child moves up to another school. And finally, talk to the child to find out if there are questions or concerns about school.

Night before school starts

Ask your child to select clothes for the next day. Ensure the backpack and lunch box are in a place where they won’t be forgotten. Find out what your child wants for breakfast and make lunch ahead, if possible. Enforce bedtime so the child is well-rested and ready to go!

Here’s to having a great first day of school! Remember to take pictures!

Back-to-school checklist

þ Task Timing before start date
o Complete paperwork for school Depends on school
o Complete paperwork for nurse Depends on school
o Complete required volunteer application Depends on school / district
o Visit school Depends on school
o Verify locker combination works Depends on school
o Visit the school’s website 3-4 weeks
o Learn about the school’s PTA 3-4 weeks
o Make a list of school supplies 3-4 weeks
o Make a list of emergency contacts 3-4 weeks
o Make a list of needed clothes 3-4 weeks
o Set up after-school childcare 3-4 weeks
o Pick up copies of sales ads 2-4 weeks
o Plan and complete shopping trips 2-3 weeks
o Prepare for school routine by enforcing bedtime 2-3 weeks
o Plan lunches and shop for groceries 1 week
o Review transportation routine 1 week
o Talk to child about questions and concerns 1 week
o Lay out clothes and shoes Night before
o Take out backpack, supplies, and lunch boxes Night before
o Enforce bedtime Night before

Filed Under: Community, Featured

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